Printing surface and process of printing the same



June 18, 1929. J. K. SNYDER 1,717,941

PRINTING SURFACE AND PROCESS OF PRINTING'THE SAME Filed Nov. 29, 1927 lNV TOR bRNEYs Patented June is, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,717,947 PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB K. SNYDER, OF GREENPOIN'T, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO A. HORN COMPANY,

' A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PRINTING SURFACE AND PROCESS OF PRINTING THE SAME.

Application filed November 29, 1927. Serial No. 236,597.

My invention relates particularly to-a process for reproducing by rinting the grain of woods of various kin s, and the product thereof.

This application relates to one of the specific modifications mentioned within the scope of my main application for Letters Patent on this subject entitled Process of producing printing surfaces 1 and product thereof, executed by me on the 17th day of November, 1927, Ser. No. 236,596, filed Nov. 29, 1927.

y The object of my invention is to provide a process and product thereof, for obtaining printing surfaces by the reproduction of the grain of various kinds of woods, whereby the grain of the wood may be applied to articles of any desired kind, not only at a much smaller cost, but with a much more exact reproduction of the actual grain of the wood than has been possible in previous processes. The commercially used methods previously provided for this purpose involved the making of a negative by the use of a plastic or molten material or electroplating or photography. Some of said processes reuired the etching of metal plates as the negat1ves, and the making of a positive from the negative. Furthermore, in the previous metal etching process it has been found that the depressions and valleys caused by the etchin are not sufficiently deep to hold enough in for faithfully reproducing the grain in exact detail when the ink is transferred to a roller and from the roller to the object to receive the grain. Also, the metal etching process is not adapted for application to curved surfaces, such as moldings. In all the said previous processes there has been a loss of value and detail so as to prevent obtaining an exact replica of the original, and said process, furthermore, required very expensive equipment, materials and workmanship. The procedure in such previous processes always has been to draw, engrave, photograph, or mold a fac-simile on a surface, to be transferred to stone, gelatine, metal or some other medium from which copies are to be printed or otherwise reproduced.

This invention comprises a method of using the grained wood itself as the negative, so as to exactly reproduce the contours of wood surface in each reproduction, thus copying the same with a fidelity and accuracy never attained before. The equipment used cient ink picked up from the surface, but,

due to the somewhat yielding character of the latter, enough ink is taken up by the roller to actually produce a raised printing surfape when desired in the final printed produc In general, my invention involves the production of a negative of the grain on a wooden plate or molding of wood, which may be followed by deepening the valleys and depressions in the grain thereof so that the minutest detail of the same will be faithfully reproduced.

My invention is capable of being carried out in many different ways, but by way of illustration I shall describe only certain ways of carrying out the same hereinafter.

By Way of illustration I have shown certain portions of my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a veneered panel showing the same before being subjectedto my process;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same before treatment;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the same shown after the etching and in process ofhaving a portion of the grain brushed out;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the resultant panel after the treatment of brushing out and filling with ink has been completed;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the same after having had the ink introduced; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the inked panel showing a portion of the ink removed there from by a transfer roller.

My process may be applied to the reproduction of the grain of any desired kind of wood, but it has application especially to hard woods, such, for-example, as mahogany, walnut, oak, etc. Preferably a veneer 1 ismade of one of these woods of sufficient thickness, as, for instance, one inch, on a backing of any other desired kind of wood, such, for instance, as cross sectioned pine 2 in order to obtain a wooden panel or molding in this manner that will not warp or distort in the course of the treatment. The veneer may be made from uarter-sawed sections or any other desirab e cuts from the log and then seasoned. The panel or moldingis placed in a suitable form and is provided wlth a smooth level surface by abrasion or smoothing down with any desired tools. The surface 1s then treated with a material which will partially remove or soften or change parts of the wood grain so as to enable the latter to be brushed out with a wire or other stitl' brush 3, having bristles of any desired material and of any desired length and degree of hardness, thus leaving depressions or valleys 4 of good depth and detail and the remainder or gram part of the surface in relief. By the degree of softening or etching and the degree of brushing, furthermore, the amount of depth to which the grain part of the fibre is to be removed may be readily controlled by the operator. For example, the material applied for softening the wood fibre may be, 1n the case of oak, a solution of 15 parts by weight of caustic soda in 100 parts by weight of water,

which may be applied to the panel or molding for 12 hours. In the case of maho any, a 99% strength by weight of acetic ac1d 1n water may be applied for 5 hours.

After the softened parts of the wood have been brushed out in the manner above described, any excess of the softening material applied may be removed or neutralized so that any further etching action ceases. For example, where caustic soda has been used a 20% strength by weight of hydrochloric acid in water ma be apphed for a few minutes to neutralize t e same, followed by washing in any desired way to remove the resultin materials. In the case where acetic acid has 40 been used as the etching liquid, 0. 15%

. salt solution, or

strength by weight of caustic soda in water may be applied thereto for a few minutes, followed by wa'shin with water. Also, if desired, it will be an erstood that the etchin materials may be removed either by brus ing with water or an or anic li uid such as naphtha or turpentine,i desired.

After the valleys or depressions have been produced in the wood, in the above manner, 1t map be found that the negative thus obtaine is somewhat soft for continued hard usage to withstand the wear of the ink scraper, and in that event a hardening treatment may be applied so as to harden the wood and thus enable innumerable impressions to be obtained. without the ink being absorbed .by the wood. For this purpose, for example,

I m ay apply to the negative a 10% strength solution by weight potash in water, which, after having been applied to the ne flocculated by t e addition of an acid, base or by heat. In the case where silver nitrate is used, this may be done, for

of silver nitrate in water,

I tralizing the etchin or a 10% strength by weight of blchromate of,

.acids may beused or neutralizing the etchative maybe precipitated or h example, by applying a 10% strength by weight solution in water.

If desired, furthermore, either with or without the previous hardening treatment, I may appl a treatment to the negative for water-proo g the same so as to prevent warping and distortion, as, for example, by providing therein a metallic salt of a fatty acid, such as aluminum stearate, with a suitable binder, such as a resin or vegetable oil or cellulose ester-carried in a solvent such as benzol, z'ylol, naphtha, turpentine, petroleum, etc. Such a water-proofing composition might be, for example, comprised of 6 parts by Weight of aluminum stearate, 2 parts by weight of colopliony resin, and 100 parts by weight of benzol.

The graining plate is then mounted on a specially constructed bed, a pliable bed, such as a mixture of glue, glycerineand formaldehyde, which acts in the double capacity of a cushion between the plate and the bed ofsuificient resilience necessary for good reproduction and for the purpose of preventing the infiltration of moisture betweenthe plate and the bed so as to prevent warping'and twistlng.

Thereafter, the negative obtained as above may have ink 5 of any desired color applied to the surface of the same with the aid of an ink scraper, so as, to fill the depressions present therein, and a transfer roller 6 may be run over the surface so as to pick up the ink from the negative. Owing to the somewhat yielding character of the wood as compared with the metal negative, it will be found that the roller will pick up the design of the rain from the wood with the greatest fait fulness and detail. ing the design of the grain in the ink, which has been received from the negative,may be applied to any surface provided for receiving the grain, as, for example, metal, parchment, wood, cement, plaster,

In the above of course, that used instead above, and that the proportions of materials hereinabove mentioned may be varied widely, as desired, to suit the conditions applicable in the particular instance. For instance, instead of the caustic soda any other one of the known alkalies may be used, as, fore-xa'mple, caustic Potash, lime, ammonia, etc, Also, instead o the acetic acid any other acid may-be used, as, for example, hydrochloric, nitric, etc. For the neutralizing chemicals used any one of the alkalies may be used for neu acid any any one of the etc. process it will be understood, many other materials may be ing alkali. Furthermore, in place of the ardening materials, any other metal salt may be used. Likewise, instead of the aluminum stearate mentioned above any other fatty acid salt of a metal may be used. Many Thereupon the roller carry- I of the materials mentionedmentioned may be cellulose nitrate or acetate,

etc. Finally, instead of the solvents mentioned I may use any other suitable solvent applicable to the purpose.

' While I have described my invention above in detail I wish it to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the same.

I claim:

1. The process which comprises producing a printing surface by removing a part of the fibre from a mahogany surface to place the grain in relief, with the aid of acetic acid and then printing from said surface.

2. The process which comprises producing a printing surface by removm a part of the' fibre from a wooden surface mahogany to place the grain in relief, by applying acetic acid as an etching material, then brushing out the softened grain followed by neutralization of the etching material, then hardening. the wooden surface by the application of a metallic salt, then adding a precipitant and subjecting the surface to a water-proofing treatment with a metallic stearate and a binder in liquid phase and then printing from said surface.

3. The process which comprises producing a printing surface by removing a part of the fibre from a mahogany surface to place V the grain in relief, by the application of acetic acid and then brushing out the softened grain to form cavities left by the brushed out portions of the wood, then filling these cavities with ink, and then printing from said surface.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand this 17 th day of November, 1927.

JACOB K. SNYDER. 

